Our Mission

PlainHealthAccess is a searchable reference for federal shortage-designation records. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) maintains Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) and Medically Underserved Area and Population (MUA/P) records, including records for geographic areas, populations, and facilities.

We organize those source-vintaged records into searchable county and state views so readers can compare the designation type, score, geography, and update context. The portal is a reference layer, not a real-time provider directory or a personal assessment of care options.

For an official, current HPSA record, use HRSA's HPSA Find tool. It can filter geographic, population, and facility HPSA designations by location, type, status, discipline, score, and rural status.

Our Data

Source records originate with the HRSA Data Warehouse (data.hrsa.gov), maintained by the Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. PlainHealthAccess normalizes the source collections for browsing and download. They include:

• Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs): Geographic, population, and facility-based designations for primary care, mental health, and dental provider shortages
• HPSA Scores: 0–25 severity scores for primary care and mental health; 0–26 for dental
• Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs): Designations using the Index of Medical Underservice (IMU)
• State and county summaries: HPSA counts, population-in-shortage statistics, and MUA counts for all 50 states and US territories

Methodology

We download source files from the HRSA Data Warehouse, normalize their fields through a documented data pipeline, and organize them into searchable state and county pages. We do not create a clinical score, infer appointment availability, or treat a designation as an outcome. Rankings use the designated records and scores that the source supplies; the methodology explains the aggregation and its limits.

Data Currency

Each reference page identifies the source vintage used for its figures. HRSA reviews shortage designations on an ongoing basis, so a portal snapshot can differ from the agency's current record.

PlainHealthAccess does not claim real-time designation status. For the most current status of a specific area, verify with HRSA's official HPSA Finder.

Not Affiliated

PlainHealthAccess is not affiliated with HRSA, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or any government agency. We are an independent data portal providing public information in a more accessible format. For official HPSA searches, visit HRSA's HPSA Finder.

How We Map Healthcare Shortage Areas

PlainHealthAccess uses two HRSA designation systems: Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), which can identify provider shortages in geographic areas, populations, or facilities, and Medically Underserved Areas and Populations (MUA/Ps), which identify geographic areas or populations with a lack of access to primary-care services. County summaries are a browsing aid; they do not turn a designation into a complete local-provider directory.

HPSA scores (a 0-25 scale measuring shortage severity) and MUA Index of Medical Underservice scores come directly from HRSA data. County profiles show active designations, provider-to-population ratios, and how many shortage area designations overlap in each geography. We do not create our own shortage definitions, we present the federal designations as HRSA publishes them.

Important Disclaimer

This site is for informational purposes only and does not provide medical advice. The data presented comes from government sources and is not a substitute for professional medical consultation. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for medical decisions. Data accuracy depends on HRSA source data and may not reflect the most current conditions.

Editorial Independence

PlainHealthAccess is responsible for the portal's data selection, field labels, methodology, and corrections. Source-backed figures are rendered from the portal's data pipeline; explanatory pages describe the source, aggregation, and limits without presenting editorial interpretation as an HRSA finding.

We do not accept payment, sponsorship, or promoted placement from providers, hospitals, manufacturers, or any healthcare entity. Our only revenue source is contextual display advertising served by Google AdSense, advertisers do not influence which entities we cover or how we present data, and they do not receive preferential placement.

Contact

For questions or feedback, email hello@plainhealthaccess.com.